Written by
Will Alsop
Historical account by
JJ Caballero
Documentation coordination by
Manuel Martín Vertedor
Appendix compilation, maps and plans resourcing by
Anna Dorca
Edited by
Nancy Alsop
Illustrations by
Abi Daker
Photography by
Xavier Cervera
and Ángel Almazán Piquer
Designed by
ALL Design
Website made with
Addedlovely
© Published by Rough Luxe 2014
The Pradell typeface, designed by Enric Baliús in 2003, is inspired by xviiith century Spanish type specimens – mainly those of Catalan punchcutter Pradell (1721–1788).
Eudald Pradell was born in Ripoll, less than 100 Km from Las Heras. Although illiterate, he set up a workshop in Barcelona, having learnt his trade from his family of gunsmiths. King Charles III was so impressed with his work, that he commissioned Pradell to design typefaces for the Imprenta Nacional (Royal Press). He later set up his own foundry in Madrid.
By the time of his death, Pradell was considered the leading punchcutter in Spain. Should any books had been produced at Las Heras during the masía’s apogee in the late 1700s, they may well have used one of his designs.
Brandon Text – although a contemporary typeface (2013) by Berlin designer Hannes von Döhren – is inspired by the geometric sans serif faces that were popular during the 1920s and 30s. It is a typeface that could very well have been conceived by a Barcelona foundry of the era, like Neufville or Iranzo – a period which coincided with both the zenith and immediate demise of Las Heras.
